US Department of Transportation awards Detroit nearly $25M to fix most dangerous streets

The City of Detroit will receive nearly $25 million to fix its most dangerous streets.

The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) awarded the funds as part of the Safe Streets and Roads for All project.

“One of the large physical improvement grants ($24.8 million) is going to Detroit to update roads across the city where there are the highest traffic fatality rates,” the release stated.

United States Deputy Secretary of Transportation Polly Trottenberg complimented Detroit’s data-driven grant application that focused on improving the city’s deadliest roadways.

“Taking the existing roadway network and finding ways to make it a lot safer,” Trottenberg said.

The infrastructure improvements will include things like more bike lanes, revamped crosswalks, and pedestrian refuge islands.

The projects are designed to reinvent existing transportation infrastructure to focus on pedestrian safety and encourage safe speeds.

From 2017 to 2020, the City of Detroit saw an increase of 88% in its per capita fatality rate and has one of the highest traffic fatality rates nationally.

The locations for the project were determined based on a robust analysis of crash dates, including the high-injury network and overbuilt areas with vehicle-based infrastructure.

The projects are designed to reinvent existing transportation infrastructure to focus on pedestrian safety and encourage safe speeds.


About the Authors:

Jacqueline Francis is an award-winning journalist who joined the WDIV team in September 2022. Prior to Local 4, she reported for the NBC affiliate in West Michigan. When she’s not on the job, Jacqueline enjoys taking advantage of all the wonders Michigan has to offer, from ski trips up north to beach days with her dog, Ace.

Brandon Carr is a digital content producer for ClickOnDetroit and has been with WDIV Local 4 since November 2021. Brandon is the 2015 Solomon Kinloch Humanitarian award recipient for Community Service.